Chris Harrison is one proud host! In the new issue of Us Weekly, the 47-year-old host opens up about how proud he is of Hannah Brown and the way she has stood up for herself during this season of The Bachelorette.
“I love that we are starting to have these conversations. I’m proud of Hannah for throwing herself out there, embarrassingly so. No one wants to talk about the fact that you’ve had sex in a windmill with somebody,” he notes, referencing Brown’s fantasy date reveal. “She reluctantly became that hero, the voice and the face of this, so hopefully other women in toxic relationships or other women facing this won’t face this.”
Harrison admits he feels “uber protective” of Brown and jokes that at times, the Bachelorette even calls him “Papa Chris.” That’s why he’s so proud.
“People think with empowerment, especially with so much talk about it in this day and age, is that it only comes from strength. It only comes from being a bad ass and kicking down doors and knocking people out. In my opinion, the strongest women and the strongest people, are the people that admit their insecurities, their frailties, their failures,” he states, complimenting Brown. “She’s not afraid to tell everybody she screwed up. ‘I fail, I’m insecure, yeah, I cry,’ and ‘Yeah, it hurts me when people say I’m a slut.’ That, to me, is power. I think in this day and age, there’s so much talk about it and empowerment and I’m glad that we’re having this discussion. I have a daughter who’s 15 years old. … I want my 15-year-old daughter to hear that..
He then adds: “She’s relatable, and I think women watching, including my daughter, will say, ‘That’s me. She represents me.” Harrison shares two children, Joshua and Taylor, with ex-wife Gwen Harrison.
For more of our exclusive interview with Harrison, watch the video above and pick up Us Weekly, on newsstands now!
The Bachelorette airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
